Student feedback surveys in Ireland and the UK indicate consistently that students are dissatisfied with the traditional feedback methods as being deficient in a number of aspects. Results cite a lack of feedback being provided, lack of clarity, illegibility or feedback being delivered too late for students to apply (NUS, 2012; ISSE, 2015). Academics frequently mention that students either skip directly to the grade, fail to act or engage with the feedback or even to collect it at all (Bloxham and Boyd 2007, Nicol 2010, Orsmond and Merry 2011). Whilst these are two very conflicting areas of debate, the common unifier is engagement, or lack of engagement, with feedback. The challenge therefore is how to get our students to engage with feedback when it is provided to them?
One possible way to facilitate engagement may be to use a technology which appeals to the everyday communication tools that students are using outside of the third level environment. Students are engaging with multimedia, such as YouTube, on a daily basis for pleasure. One technology which shares similar characteristics to video is screencasting.
A key benefit of this tool is that feedback provided by screencast combines the two major senses for learning: visual and auditory input (Mayer and Moreno 2003). Students can see and hear specifically what the lecturer is referring to; as a result it can avoid some ambiguity that may occur with traditional written feedback (Cranny 2016). The resultant video files provide the students with online access (once they have an internet connection) to their feedback which they can access at a time and place of their own choosing (Haxton and McGarvey, 2011).
This small scale mixed methods study, using an online survey and focus group seeks to evaluate screencasting as a means of enhancing the formative assessment process for students, and to develop guidelines for practitioners wishing to adopt its use. The study is based on formative feedback provided to first year students on a multi-stage assessment at a Higher Education Institution in the Republic of Ireland.
Data analysis indicated that students engage with screencast feedback in a number of ways. Students watch the screencast feedback multiple times. They can pause and rewind if necessary, apply the suggestions for improvement from the lecturer, and they can access it anywhere that has an internet connection.
In conclusion these findings indicate that screencasting is an effective medium to communicate formative feedback to students. This study will contribute to the development of best practice by suggesting a framework for screencast feedback.
For a comprehensive reference list please see:
Cranny, D. 2017. Using Screencasting to Close the Feedback Loop. IN: Technology Enabled Feedback Approaches for FirstYear: Y1 Feedback Case Studies in Practice: Y1Feedback. Available from: https://www.y1feedback.ie
- Note This research was conducted as part the multi institutional Y1Feedback ([http://www.y1feedback.ie)]www.y1feedback.ie) project, which was funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.
